Scrampled #59

Andrew Benson is a video feedback aesthete who works with code intuitively, and “Scrampled” is an iconic example of his bright and gestural software paintings.

To make his animations, he creates his own software tools the way a traditional craftsperson might build a custom tool for a specific task. In this way, Andrew creates bespoke software that is completely tailored to his process, and unlike code written by anyone else.

When “Scrampled” is started, a series of gestural lines are drawn to the screen, and as other gestures begin to excise and copy textures, a new visual world unfolds. The process of mark-making and mark-interrupting becomes a feedback loop that pushes and pulls pixels across the screen in a luscious dance.